CTTC: Ex-Shibir men now leading New JMB

Former members of Islami Chhatra Shibir are leading the new faction of banned militant outfit Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (New JMB), says Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit (CTTC) chief.
“Rashed joined New JMB with the help of Shibir leader Shariful Islam Khaled, who is a suspect in the murder case of Rajshahi University Professor Dr AFM Rezaul Karim Siddique,” Monirul Islam told journalists on Saturday.
Aslam Hossain Rashed alias Rashedul Islam alias Rash, suspected coordinator and one of the key planners of the Gulshan attack, was arrested from Natore on Friday.
“Now, there are two New JMB factions. Ayub Bachchu is leading one faction and the other is being led by Hadisur Rahman Sagar,” he said.
Earlier, police had said Jamaat-e-Islami’s student wing Chhatra Shibir was involved with militant activities in Bangladesh. However, the party has been denying such claims.
Monirul said Rashed was very close to New JMB leader Tamim Chowdhury and also one of the masterminds of Gulshan cafe attack.
The CTTC chief said after Tamim’s death, Rashed hoped to get a senior position in New JMB but was disappointed.
“Ayub Bachchu is the current chief of New JMB. Rashed stayed away from him and later decided to run operations on his own,” he added.
Monirul said the militants had lost their capacity to carry out any large-scale attack at the moment.